Not in Chronological Order
by TalepieceUK
Summary: Sarah Jane and River but not in chronological order. femslash
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: Not In Chronological Order (1)

AUTHOR: Talepiece

RATING: 12 cert/PG-13

PAIRING: Sarah Jane/River

DISCLAIMER: I own them not. Please sue me not.

* * *

**River Meets Sarah Jane For The First Time (but not the other way around)  
**

It had started with curiosity. That wasn't unusual; pretty much everything started with curiosity for Sarah Jane Smith. For once, it wasn't her curiosity that got her into trouble.

They were all heading out, ready to cram themselves in to the little Figaro and drive off to some adventure. Rani had forgotten something, her bag. She'd gone back up to the attic to fetch it. The attic where, a couple of hours before, she had stumbled on Sarah Jane wallowing in her past with a little photo album that she didn't usually get out. That she had never even shown Luke, much less Rani or Clyde.

Rani had noticed. Of course she'd noticed, she was proving herself to be a very fine cub reporter. And her curiosity was as easily peeked as Sarah Jane's. So shoving the album under the sofa's cushions in an uncoordinated rush probably hadn't been the best move.

Sarah Jane knew it immediately but she had hoped that the lead the boys had come up with would keep them all distracted. Not so Rani. She'd left her bag upstairs. Conveniently. And gone back up to fetch it on her own. Conveniently.

'That was a very conveniently forgotten bag,' Sarah Jane said from the attic door.

She could sense Rani's grin without the girl turning around. When she did turn, the photo album was held carefully in her hands. Her big, dark eyes darted down to the exposed photograph. Sarah Jane managed to hold back a sigh.

'Did you love her?'

Get right in there and ask the most important question. She'd taught this young woman too well.

'Very much,' Sarah Jane gave a faint shrug, 'For a while.'

'What happened?'

Sarah Jane approached the girl, reaching out for the album. It was open at her favourite picture. The one she had been looking at when Rani interrupted her. Damn, Rani was good, wasn't she? She looked down at it, a smile escaping her attempts to remain expressionless.

'I -'

'Mum!' Luke's voice carried up through the whole house.

Rani's face fell in disappointment and Sarah Jane's grin widened because of it. 'I will tell you,' Sarah Jane said, surprising herself, 'but we do have to go and save the world first.'

Funnily enough, the subject just hadn't come up since. Well, perhaps Sarah Jane had made sure of that but there had been plenty of things going on to keep Rani's curiosity otherwise engaged. Though the girl had been looking at her with a little more intent, Sarah Jane thought, with a newfound respect or perhaps another type of respect.

Eventually Sarah Jane had found a few minutes to herself The world didn't require saving, hadn't done for a whole sixteen hours. There were no aliens en route, no meetings at the paper. Luke was staying over at Clyde's house. She had a blissful afternoon of being by herself in mind and had settled down with a glass of red wine as a prelude.

Then the door bell rang. Sarah Jane allowed herself to ignore it for a moment and sighed when she heard the spare key turning in the lock.

'Sarah Jane! Sarah Jane!'

'In here, Rani.' The living room door flew open, hitting the wall with a loud crack. 'Gentle with the paintwork,' Sarah Jane chided.

'Sorry,' but she didn't sound sorry at all. She sounded genuinely worried. Sarah Jane put down the glass and turned to see Rani's flushed face, 'It's her. Her,' the girl repeated as she waved a newspaper in her hand.

It was a broadsheet and Rani had it folded to a page with a small picture in the corner.

'Who's her?'

'Her. Your her. The her from your photo album. The one you loved very much, for a while. Her.'

Sarah Jane was on her feet now, snatching the paper and studying the picture. She was right. Dear god, it was her. Sarah Jane felt her legs wobble and Rani's hand was on her arm, steadying her until she could sit on the edge of the sofa. Sarah Jane shook herself and focused on the paper. It was a small article, just a few inches with the little photo. Only someone like Rani would even read the thing. But she was right, it was definitely her.

'River,' Sarah Jane breathed.

'You never did tell me about her,' and there was a hint of reproach in the words.

Sarah Jane ignored it and went back to the piece. Arrested for breaking and entering. And resisting arrest. 'I bet she did,' Sarah Jane said on a smile. Her brow wrinkled in thought, 'Why hasn't Jack dealt with this; Torchwood should keep this out of the papers, surely?'

'Torchwood? The ones with the guns? Well, the other ones with the guns - why haven't UNIT got her out?'

'They don't even know about her, I made sure of that. And if Torchwood aren't helping -'

'We should,' Rani interrupted cheerfully.

'I should,' Sarah Jane leaned on the pronoun but she already knew it would do no good. She gave it one more go, just to satisfy herself, 'You should stay here, I'll call in when I'm back, tell you -'

'Not on your life,' Rani's finger was up and wagging, 'Where you go, I go. Besides, you can tell me all about her on the way.'

So she had. All about her.

And Rani had listened intently, that look of not-new-but-different respect on her face, curiosity burning in her eyes.

'And you shagged her?'

Sarah Jane baulked, 'I beg your pardon!'

'I'm sorry,' Rani laughed at the outrage in her voice, 'You made love with her. Mad, passionate -'

'Yes, yes, thank you. That's quite enough of that.'

'Is that what you said to her? I bet it wasn't. I've seen the photos and your River is gorgeous.'

Rani had said it with just a bit too much feeling.

Sarah Jane glanced around, her eyes away from the road a moment too long to take in Rani's unrepentant but still fearful expression.

'I thought you liked Luke.'

'I do - and Clyde. But not like that. What?' Rani laughed suddenly.

'I thought,' Sarah Jane shook her head, 'I have no idea what I thought. But I know I'm too old for all this.'

'You're not too old. You've never been too old or too young; I reckon you've always been the perfect age.'

'You're flirting with me,' Sarah Jane said flatly.

Rani's grin grew wider, 'You're a very attractive woman, Sarah Jane Smith.'

Any more of this and her head was going to explode, Sarah Jane decided, and that would be very inconvenient given that she was racing through building traffic. Dear god, some days things got complicated enough without alien involvement. She was almost looking forward to the next Sontaran assault.

But there was River to deal with first.

It was an old ruse but it was surprising how often it worked. Little local Police Station; tired desk sergeant, too much going on to check anything; a flash of her other Press ID, a joke about trainee reporters and new coppers getting younger every day. Easy as that.

And Sarah Jane was forcing her legs to carry her around the corridor to the cell door. The getting-younger-every-day PC opening the door, saying something that Rani had to respond to because Sarah Jane's voice had deserted her.

The door opened. The young woman stood up from the bed, turning to look at her visitors. Hazel eyes blinking under a mop of curly hair, her face closed. No recognition there.

Sarah Jane felt the blood in her veins slow, her breathing normalising. She pushed down on a wave of disappointment; this River hadn't met her yet. That was the problem with dating someone who travelled in time.

'Hello,' River said, her voice raising a smile on Sarah Jane's face despite herself.

'Wow, you are gorgeous,' Rani blurted out as she turned back from the retreating PC.

'You're not bad yourself, sweetie' the voice had turned playful.

'She's not sixteen yet either,' Sarah Jane said more sharply than she had meant to, 'And I really think we should focus here.'

'Alright,' her eyes were studying Sarah Jane carefully, 'Do we know each other?'

'We will. About twenty years in the past,' she added to the questioning look.

Rani looked from one woman to the other, 'But you know that you know her?' she said to River.

'You get a sense for these things. We knew each other well?'

'Very.'

River's voice was low again, absolutely honest, 'I look forward to it.'

There was a long moment, the two women staring at each other, things being said that no-one was voicing. Rani hated to interrupt it but there was a small matter of getting her out of here.

'Er, so - how do we break someone out of prison?'

'You came to break me out?' River said, 'But you don't have a plan?'

Sarah Jane flushed, 'Well, it all happened rather fast. It was Rani that -' She trailed off. 'I'm sorry,' she held out her hand, 'I'm Sarah Jane Smith and this is Rani.' There was a pause as something clicked in Sarah Jane's head, 'And this is how you knew my name when we first met. You never said.'

'That would be spoilers, wouldn't it?' Rani said.

River chuckled, 'It's a pleasure to meet you both. Your plan?'

'How did you get here? To Earth, I mean,' Sarah Jane asked.

'I' - a moments hesitation, a cheeky grin - 'borrowed a ship.'

What a surprise. 'Where is it?'

'In the multi-storey behind the shopping centre.'

Rani shook her head, 'In the multi-storey...? You just bought a ticket and parked it here?'

'Pretty much.'

The two women shared a smile and Rani could only roll her eyes; there would be a lot of this sort of thing in a situation like this, she just knew it. But, even with the age gap, they did look good together. Twenty years ago, with Sarah Jane that much younger and River a bit older - wow, the photos didn't do them justice.

'Rani? Earth to Rani?'

Sarah Jane's voice forced Rani to shake herself free from the daydream that was starting to take shape. She had to focus, this was no time to get distracted. 'Sorry, what?'

'I need to get in to the storage room and find River's things,' Sarah Jane said.

'Get your car keys?' Rani said.

'Something like that,' River smiled, 'Be careful, please. I can find another way out, if I need to.'

'I think it would be best if we got you out as quickly as possible.'

River studied Sarah Jane for a moment more, 'Yes. Thank you.'

'Right then,' Sarah Jane was all business again, 'Rani, you stay here and make it look like you're interviewing River. I'll just nip out and get your things.'

'Easy as that?'

'Easy as that,' she smiled broadly.

Sarah Jane slipped out of the cell and back down the corridor. Rani watched her go. She turned back to find River still studying the space that had contained Sarah Jane.

Sarah Jane made her way through the Station. Oh, she still had it. Skirting sixty and she could still get the job done when she wanted to. Needed to. She really needed to get River out of here before she could cause real trouble. As dearly as she had loved River - would love her, in the past...so to speak - Sarah Jane knew all too well that there was a wild streak that could cause more than just trouble. She thought with some pride that their relationship had calmed River down, made her think things through a little more. Maybe.

When they had first met. Well, that had almost been a very short, very unpleasant end for Sarah Jane instead of the eight loving years they had had together and an eventful life since. Sarah Jane tried to remember why they had been so sure that it had to end but somehow her mind always slipped over that time. That awful, painful time when it became obvious that River would have to go. Dear god, it still hurt, even twenty years later.

But that wasn't important right now, Sarah Jane reminded herself sternly. She had found her way in to the right part of the Station and she had her sonic lippy out - that made her grin, despite the situation - and the storage room door was just clicking open.

Sarah Jane hurried in, leaving the sonic on a low setting to cause just enough static to foil the security cameras. She checked the labels on the boxes and quickly found the one bearing the name River had given the Police. There wasn't much in there. A battered wallet with some cards that a more alert PC might have questioned; a necklace that Sarah Jane knew had been a gift from River's father; the big old watch, apparently mechanical, that actually contained more technology than the whole Station held.

Sarah Jane slipped the items in to her bag and snatched up her sonic lipstick before hurrying out of the room. She had gone a few paces when a sharp voice stopped her. She turned to see another policeman, this one of some rank, striding towards her.

'What in hell are you doing here woman?'

Woman? Sarah Jane bristled. 'I'm so sorry, Inspector, I'm afraid I'm hopelessly lost.'

He looked doubtful but Sarah Jane gave him a full blast of her charm and waited. He still looked doubtful. Just her luck he was immune. She decided on another route, though only because it was River.

Her hand rose, lipstick held firmly in her fingers. The inspector looked confused. Then stunned. Then unconscious. All before he hit the floor.

Sarah Jane moved quickly, dragging the Inspector in to the storage room before jogging down the corridor, back to River's cell.

'Time to get moving,' she said as she hurried inside, 'So to speak.'

'What did you do?' River said, less accusing than intrigued.

'Oh, you know, just what needed to be done.'

'Sarah Jane?' even Rani looked concerned.

'Let's just say that the Inspector is going to be waking up with a headache in the next ten minutes or so. Hopefully, he won't remember the last few minutes that he was conscious but -'

'We have to get out of here,' Rani finished for her.

Sarah Jane handed River's belongings over with a tense smile.

River slipped on the necklace and watch before stuffing the wallet in to her back pocket. She looked down at the watch, fiddling with the pins. Her face fell and Sarah Jane braced herself; she knew that look and it didn't bode well.

'What is it?'

'The watch, it took a hit, that's why I couldn't get away from the Police.'

'What do you need?' Rani leaned in to look at the watch, fascinated by the idea that it alone could save River. She so wanted to ask more but knew it wasn't the time.

'A kick start,' Sarah Jane said before River could answer. She fished in her bag again and pulled out the lipstick. She offered it to River, 'Here.'

River hesitated, glancing up from the lipstick to check that Sarah Jane wasn't making fun of her. 'I'm not sure it's quite my col-' Sarah Jane opened the lippy, exposing the sonic device. River grinned, 'Now that is clever. I'll have to remember that.'

'Yes, you will,' Sarah Jane said with a smirk.

River took the lipstick and held it over the watch, the buzzing filling the small cell. The watch started to glow faintly, soaking up the energy. 'Give me a few more minutes and I can get us all out of here.'

'No,' Sarah Jane said, 'If we just disappear, we'll definitely look guilty. Besides, I used my other press ID so they don't have my real name. That should make it easier.'

'I could go back -'

'No! Really, that would just cause more problems. You sit tight for a few minutes, then get out of here.'

'Will we meet again?' Rani said.

River smiled at the wistful tone, 'I certainly hope so,' she said, as much to Sarah Jane as to Rani.

'Yes, well. You take care of yourself. And, please, no more resisting arrest. At least, not on this planet.'

River nodded her agreement and watched as they walked out of the cell.

'Wait! What about this?' she nodded towards the lipstick, still aimed at her watch.

Sarah Jane shrugged, 'Oh, you'll return it to me, one day.'

The young PC was just heading towards them. River pocketed the lippy and covered the watch with her hand. Sarah Jane and Rani waited while he closed the cell door with a hard look at River before escorting them to the Station's entrance.

Sarah Jane forced herself not to glance back, though she desperately wanted one more look at River. Rani babbled on, spinning some tale for the PC that got them all the way to the front desk. They were almost there. Almost.

'Bloody hell, Sir, what's happened to you?'

'I have no idea, Sergeant.'

The Inspector. Apparently he was almost immune to the sonic as well. Damn.

'You there, you there, PC Jenkins!'

The PC stopped and turned to his superior. Sarah Jane and Rani exchanged glances as they turned. Sarah Jane made sure to look right in to the Inspector's eyes.

Nothing. No recognition at all. He still looked dazed, his face pale, his eyes small and squinting.

Sarah Jane smiled at the man sympathetically, 'Can we offer assistance?'

'Who the hell are you?'

'Reporters, Sir,' the Desk Sergeant said.

'Damn, well, best you get them out of here, PC Jenkins.'

Sarah Jane and Rani turned quickly. They left the PC at the door and hurried down the steps to the Figaro. Neither spoke until the car was moving.

'Didn't think much of that Inspector,' Rani said.

Sarah Jane harrumphed, 'I wish he'd stayed down until we'd gone; they'd have assumed River had done it. Now, when they find her gone, they'll have to suspect us.'

'Which Press ID did you use?'

Sarah Jane just laughed.


	2. Chapter 2

TITLE: Not In Chronological Order (2)

AUTHOR: Talepiece

RATING: 12 cert/PG-13

PAIRING: Sarah Jane/River

DISCLAIMER: I own them not. Please sue me not.

* * *

**Sarah Jane Meets River For The First Time (but not the other way around)  
**

She was getting too old for this. The thought pounded through her head in time with the pounding of her heart. Seriously, weren't you supposed to settle down in your thirties? Sarah Jane dared a glance over her shoulder and forgot about her age. It wouldn't mean much if they caught her, at least only as a number on her headstone. If anyone found enough of her to bury.

It had seemed like such a simple plan. Plans always did seem simple...until you were running full-tilt from some heavily armed and not at all friendly security guards. Almost certainly not human security guards at that. On the up side, whatever they were doing in that factory, it definitely wasn't producing innocent food supplements. Somehow, being right about that didn't feel so good at the moment.

Sarah Jane stumbled as she turned a corner, bouncing off the wall of yet another factory unit in the growing industrial park. She was out of view for a few seconds and she needed to make the most of it. Then someone was behind her; a strong arm wrapping around her shoulders, a hand covering her mouth; breasts pressing in to her back.

Sarah Jane's panic skidded to a halt as she took in that last bit. Definitely not the harsh jab of body armour. Breasts, yes, definitely breasts. It had been a while since she'd felt - Sarah Jane cut off the thought and her panic reasserted itself.

'Hello, Sweetie,' a smiling voice said.

That was unexpected too. Breasts and a smiling voice. Sweetie? Not generally what you associated with being grabbed from behind. At least, not when you were out in public and being chased by alien security personnel.

The body behind her pulled them both back, tucking them in to a dark recess at the entrance to one of the units. The hand stayed at her mouth but the grip loosened and Sarah Jane knew she could escape if she wanted to. She didn't want to. There was something comforting about the presence, something that told her she was safe and would stay that way - despite the heavily armed guards who were now sprinting past them.

Sarah Jane pressed back further and heard the faint intake of breath in her ear. The arm around her shoulders slackened and the hand came to rest on her upper chest. It was familiar, intimate, and Sarah Jane's panic flared up for a whole other reason.

'Steady, Sarah,' the voice whispered, 'give it a few more minutes.'

Sarah? Sarah Jane started to move but the hand pulled her close again and she caught the sounds of another guard nearby before she could make too much noise herself. So she waited, two competing causes of panic balancing each other out. Her breathing didn't know whether to calm down or speed up and her brain was close to implosion.

Some days travelling with the Doctor seemed like the safe option.

After a long five minutes, the woman behind her relaxed and the hand fell away from Sarah Jane's shoulder. Sarah Jane took a careful step forward and peeked out from their hiding place. The coast was clear. In front of her at least. Behind her?

Sarah Jane turned and found smiling hazel eyes to match the quirked lips and the voice. A mop of curly hair shook gently as the woman stepped out too. The eyes flashed as she looked around them but gentled again as they came to rest on Sarah Jane's worried expression.

'My name's River,' she held out a hand, 'and you're Sarah Jane. Don't ask how I know: spoilers. Just trust me, you need some help and so do I. Fancy working together?'

How could someone pack so much innuendo in to so few words? Sarah Jane automatically held out her hand. God, they were lovely eyes, Sarah Jane thought as her own gaze betrayed her and slipped lower. Yep, definitely breasts.

'You're admiring my necklace, Sweetie,' River said through a cheeky grin, 'my father gave it to me. That and the eyes; about all I got from him.' But there was no anger in the tone and the innuendo quickly slipped back in, 'So, you and me? Together. Working, obviously.'

Sarah Jane managed to nod, though she wasn't sure how. She was sure that she couldn't manage anything else. Dear god, what was this woman doing to her. Drugs? Hypnosis? Sheer force of personality? Yes, she'd go for that last one. Something told her that there wasn't much that this River woman couldn't get, if she set her mind to it. Nothing and no-one would be immune.

'Working together. Obviously.'

And whatever River's job was, she was good at it. A wide circuit of the factory...a careful watch of the small, almost hidden, entrance at the back of the unit...a well-timed crawl to the fence...

Sarah Jane blinked as the heavy chain of the fence seemed to part at River's command. She'd barely seen the tool that River now dropped in to the pack on her belt. Hazel eyes flashed a dare and River was moving forward, keeping low, moving quickly. Sarah Jane scrambled to keep up, trusting the woman's instincts completely.

There was movement off to the side of the building and Sarah Jane found herself flattened between the hard concrete floor and River. Despite her calm demeanour River's heartrate was up, her breathing sharp. Sarah Jane tried to focus on the matter at hand.

'Steady, Sweetie, time for that later,' River whispered in her ear.

A sudden rush of anger had Sarah Jane saying, 'And just what makes you think that?'

River's hand went to Sarah Jane's mouth, 'I have it on good authority.'

'Whose authority?'

'Yours.'

Just as suddenly the coast was clear and River was lifting her body away from Sarah Jane's and crawling forward a few yards. Sarah Jane blinked in confusion, not really processing what was going on. Did she know this woman? Had they met when she was travelling with the Doctor? A Time Lord, maybe, post-regeneration? Dear god, this wasn't the Doctor, was it - could Time Lords do that? No, surely not; the Doctor wouldn't tease her like this. And he certainly never showed any signs of... Anyway, best not think about that. Back to River, whoever she was. And who the heck was she?

'Sarah, Sarah Jane!' River hissed, 'Come on!'

They crawled on, River reaching back to grab at Sarah Jane's arm as they came close to the side of the building. She hefted them both to their feet and pulled them against the wall. A glance at her watch, surprisingly old and mechanical for a woman who's other hand was reaching in to her pack and pulling out a high tech device. River eased herself around the wall until she reached the entrance. The device locked itself to the metal of the door frame with a clank. River's finger tapped at the control and she ducked back, shielding Sarah Jane with her body.

Sarah Jane waited, expecting a significant blast from the device. It went ping. Not even a loud ping. River's head lifted and Sarah Jane had to smile at the look of disgust on her face.

'Not what you were expecting?'

River's frown shifted to a grin, 'I usually manage a bigger bang. Anyway, let's just get in there and get what we're here for.'

Sarah Jane reached out for her, pulling River back by the arm. She had suddenly realised something, something that she should have considered before. Something that this woman's considerable charms had made her forget.

'Just what are you here for?'

River rolled her eyes, 'Could we get on with this, then talk about it. We're somewhat exposed out here,' River added, her head tilting to indicate the open space around the building.

Sarah Jane looked around. Another guard could show up at any minute. Damn it. She nodded and River turned away again, pushing the door open carefully. Her hand snapped the device from the door frame as she went, dropping it in to her pack.

The building was surprisingly quiet - and empty. They looked at each other warily. The large expanse of factory stretched out before them. No machinery, no workers. No guards. At least for now.

'Too late,' River muttered. The old watch on her wrist began to beep urgently. It was glowing in a very new tech sort of way. River glared at it, 'Bugger,' and fumbled for her pack again.

She pulled something out and pressed it in to Sarah Jane's hand just as they felt energy buzz around them. Sarah Jane had time to glance down and see a small, gold lipstick resting in the palm of her hand before both her hand and the lipstick began to fade. She felt the pulse chase through her body, realised they were being transported somewhere, had the unnerving sensation of her body drifting apart, atom by atom, before being reassembled elsewhere. Her legs gave way beneath her, her body toppling towards the floor before River's strong arms halted her fall, pulling her upright and holding her up until Sarah Jane could look around them.

She wished she hadn't bothered.

The ultra-bright lights made her wince after the dim light of the factory. But even through her wincing, she could make out the heavily armed guards. Same body armour, same aggressive stance. Same big guns.

'Well, finally, I was wondering when you'd beam us up,' River said, instantly taking charge of the situation.

Sarah Jane looked up at her in surprise. So did the guards. Oh, this woman was good. At least, Sarah Jane hoped that this was some clever ruse and not River revealing her true colours. That thought caused a sharp pain in her chest and it made her wince again. River saw it as she turned to indicate her and hesitated for a moment. She flashed Sarah Jane a smile before her face and tone hardened again.

'Take her to the cells. I want her alive, though; be sure of that. Now,' and River was turning away from them and marching right for the bay's entrance. It was hard to believe she didn't own the place. Sarah Jane was fairly sure that she would own it before long. Maybe that was what River had wanted all along?

She didn't have time to think about it. The guards were already on her, two of them grabbing for her arms and frogmarching her away.

'Alive, remember,' Sarah Jane said indignantly.

She held on to the lipstick, clutching it in her palm as they lead her through a series of over-lit and under-decorated corridors. She'd seen thousands like them with the Doctor but these seemed more threatening. The lipstick pressed in to her skin and gave her a strange sort of hope; she had no idea what a lippy could do to get her out of this situation but River had definitely wanted her to have it. If it was important to River, it was important to her. She tightened her grip even more.

They reached the cells, a line of metal doors off a long room with just a desk in the open space. They marched her to the far door and one guard opened it while the other held her firm. Then they were tossing her inside and she was skidding to a halt just inches from the wall opposite. It was a shell, nothing in there but the harsh lighting that made the walls glow. Sarah Jane rubbed at her eyes instinctively. She wouldn't last too long in here; the migraine would kill her.

She waited, propped up against the far wall, until the guards' footsteps diminished. Still with the lippy in hand, she returned to the door and looked out of the tiny grill set high in the metal. Standing on tiptoes she could just see enough of the room beyond to know that the desk was empty. No guards outside. They obviously thought a lot of the security around here.

'Time to test that out,' Sarah Jane said to herself.

She held the lipstick in her fingers, turning her hand to get a good look at the case. It looked like something you'd buy from a decent sort of department store. Nothing special though. Sarah Jane removed the lid and considered it for a moment before twisting the base and raising the...

Sarah Jane's face beamed more brightly than the sonic as it began to hum and glow. 'Oh, yes, that's what every girl should have in her handbag.' Sarah Jane set to work on the door. It took a while to get the hang of it but a few minutes later there was a satisfying click as the door's lock surrendered.

Sarah Jane eased the door open and looked outside. Still no guards. But no cover either. Once she was out of the cell she'd have nowhere to hide if anyone did show up. She listened intently but couldn't hear any sounds from outside the room. At the main door she listened again. Still nothing. She stepped out in to the corridor beyond.

The klaxon began immediately. Sarah Jane winced, she made to duck back in to the cell room but stopped. There was nothing. No sounds of approaching guards, no lights flashing. The klaxon was sounding further off, somewhere back through the maze of corridors she had been lead down.

It wasn't her. She hoped. No, she was sure of it; this wasn't about her. Which left one option. Sarah Jane forced her legs to start running. The sonic lipstick was still in her hand, held up to ward off whatever came her way. But nothing did. The corridors were empty, the klaxon still distant but growing louder as she rushed on.

She turned a corridor and barrelled in to someone running the other way. Sarah Jane kept a good grip on the lipstick and was raising it as she bounced off the figure in front of her.

'Hello, Sweetie. Glad it worked,' River said, eyeing the device with pride, 'Took a bit of work you know. Still, worth it. Come on -'

River grabbed at Sarah Jane's other hand and dragged them back the way she had come. Sarah Jane heard the heavy thud of boots from somewhere down the corridor and hurried to keep up. They seemed to be heading right back to the cells but a few turns before that River skidded to a halt. She indicated a hatchway in the wall. It was set so well in to the metal that Sarah Jane hadn't noticed it before. Even now she wasn't certain she could trace the edge all the way around.

'Have at it then,' River said and even that sounded filthy. How did she do that? 'Any time now would be good.' Sarah Jane saw the hint of panic in River's eyes, the first time she'd seen anything like it, and it spurred her on. She worked the sonic over the edge that she could clearly make out. River saw her struggling to define the rest and held her hand, 'Here, let me help.'

Their hands held firm on the lipstick as they guided it around the hatch. River glanced back nervously but said nothing. Sarah Jane forced her breathing to calm, her arm to keep moving. With another disappointing ping, the hatchway opened slightly. River was on it immediately, yanking it clear with one hand and pushing Sarah Jane forward with the other. She was clambering in behind her before Sarah Jane was through and there was some less than ladylike shoving involved to get them both inside and the hatchway closed.

Just in time. The loud stomping of boots echoed around them as the guards went by. They waited a long time, the sounds of their breathing just as loud. River opened her mouth to say something.

Sarah Jane held up a hand, 'Don't say anything; this is not the time.'

'I was just going to say thank you,' River pouted.

Sarah Jane looked at her doubtfully but couldn't suppress her smile. She felt the panicked laughter bubbling up in her chest. What was this woman doing to her?

Kissing her.

Sarah Jane's brain took longer to catch up than her lips and she was returning the contact before she realised what was happening. River's lips were soft but insistent, her body pressing closer in the confines of their hiding place. When River pulled back and smiled innocently at her, Sarah Jane knew that her expression was glazed at best.

'Just needed to keep you from laughing out loud.'

Sarah Jane blinked. 'Yes, thank you. Very interesting way to do that,' she managed after a while.

She waited for some smart comment in reply but it didn't come. Instead, River lifted a gentle hand and ran it over Sarah Jane's cheek. Sarah Jane didn't know if it was the caress itself or the look in River's eyes that made her shiver. She leaned in, brain on hiatus again, and kissed River's face. Her lips dragged across the soft skin and found River's lips. They pulled apart a fraction, resting their foreheads against each other.

'I'm sorry, Sweetie, I'll try to find better accommodations for next time.'

'Will my next time be your next time?'

River smiled, 'No, no it won't be. After that, well, I think we might match up.'

'When do -'

River bought a finger to Sarah Jane's lips, 'Spoilers, Sweetie.'

'But we've met before?'

River rolled her eyes, 'Ever the reporter, Sarah Jane Smith. I meet you twice before.'

'And?'

'And you're as beautiful then as you were now.'

Sarah Jane gave a heavy sigh. She desperately wanted to know more; there were so many questions to ask. And so little space in this tiny...cramped...airless...access shaft. Sarah Jane finally allowed herself to look around and wished she hadn't.

'Steady, Sarah. It's OK, we can get moving now.'

It reminded her of Skaro - only without the giant, Harry-eating oysters. They crawled through the tight space, knees bruised through their trousers, backs aching, palms rubbed raw on the grilling beneath them. Sarah Jane felt her panic rise again and decided to focus on the one thing she could see. River had a very nice rear end. It swayed nicely. It swayed a lot.

'Hey,' Sarah Jane's hand swatted out, 'focus, please.'

'Oh, I think you're plenty focused.'

Sarah Jane harrumphed but couldn't come up with a plausible excuse. She didn't really want to. The swaying eased but it didn't stop and Sarah Jane was happy to follow it as they turned tight corner after tight corner.

Eventually, River slowed and Sarah Jane had to pull up quickly to avoid embarrassing herself even more. River glanced back and quirked a suggestive grin. Sarah Jane found herself sticking her tongue out. How old was she? She was acting like a lovestruck teenager.

River chuckled, earning herself a glare, before turning her attention to the hatch that now blocked their way. 'Could I borrow the lippy?' Sarah Jane passed it forward and River took it with a, 'Thank you, Sweetie.'

Another ping and she was easing the hatch forward, her head darting out to check the room beyond before pulling herself clear and helping Sarah Jane to follow her down. She handed the sonic lipstick to Sarah Jane as they snapped the hatch back in to place. Sarah Jane looked around. Another over-lit room but this one filled with equipment. Lights flashed, machines hummed and displays blinked out a series of symbols that Sarah Jane instinctively understood.

'A secondary control room?'

River looked impressed. 'Not sure how long we've got,' she said, hurrying to one of the consoles, 'so let's get on with this.'

'Wait! I came here - well, to the factory - to stop them from doing whatever it is they're doing.'

'Oh, I don't think you have to worry too much about it; I may have poisoned that particular well. Trust me,' River added to Sarah Jane's doubtful expression, 'we really don't have the time to discuss it.'

'And what about you? Did you get what you came here for?'

'I have completed my mission, yes. Thank you for not asking.'

Sarah Jane closed her mouth on the words that were already forming there. For once, she would let it go. They needed to focus on getting out. She needed to trust River. She needed...to ask the questions that were queuing up in her mind.

'But -'

'Please.'

Sarah Jane slapped her mouth shut again. 'Yes, well, OK then. Let's just get out of here, shall we?'

River turned to her now, looking relieved. She leaned in to Sarah Jane and gave her a quick peck on the cheek that turned in to a little more.

'Focus, remember,' Sarah Jane said, pleased to get a chance to tease River back.

'Focus, yes. Quite right.'

River turned back to the console and worked at the controls. She glanced back at Sarah Jane with a strange expression. Sarah Jane only had time to identify it as sadness before the pulsing energy was dancing through her body again and she was fading away.

To return to herself in the garden of 13 Bannerman Road. Sarah Jane felt her legs go weak but managed to hold herself up this time. She'd always hated this transporting business. Hated it more now, hated it for taking her away from River. The loss ached in her chest and Sarah Jane had to remind herself that she had only met the woman a few hours before. It felt like a lifetime. Perhaps it would be?

She steadied herself and took in a few deep breaths. Flexing her muscles, she felt the lipstick still held tight in her palm. She opened her hand and stared down at the seemingly innocent case. She smiled, suddenly feeling lighthearted. She would see River again. And she'd make the most of it next time.


	3. Chapter 3

TITLE: Not In Chronological Order (3/3)  
AUTHOR: Talepiece  
RATING: 12 cert/PG-13  
PAIRING: Sarah Jane/River  
DISCLAIMER: I own them not. Please sue me not.  
NOTE: This completes the initial story, though there will be more with this pairing.

* * *

**Sarah Jane And River Meet For The Second Time**

Sarah Jane smoothed down the front of her dress in a nervous gesture. She'd never really liked formal dresses; evening gowns just weren't her thing. Slacks and a jacket, jeans and a shirt, Andy Pandy overalls...anything was better than a frock. Well, maybe not that last one. No matter how long she took to get ready, she always felt underdone. Especially when she was surrounded by the very rich.

The room was filling up, not unbearably so but getting busy. Waiters in black and white glided around the crowd, drinks trays held high. People mingled. People people-watched. People ogled. Mostly they were ogling the millions worth of art on the walls and on plinths set around the place. And the artefacts. Sarah Jane glanced around again, smiling briefly at a man who tried to catch her eye but looking away quickly, her gaze still trailing around the room.

Somewhere in here, in amongst all the art and money and high-powered people, was an artefact that wasn't of this Earth. At least, that was what Sarah Jane thought. She'd had a tip-off from a travelling poet who occasionally dropped in to visit her. The fact that the poet was not of this Earth either explained the type of information she provided. A trader from a race that Sarah Jane had never heard of had made a sale to a local human. A very lucrative sale. The question was: did the buyer know what he'd got for his money? Sarah Jane wasn't sure but she was sure that alien artefacts in the hands of a very rich but not entirely legitimate businessman were not a good idea.

'My dear girl, we have to be introduced.'

Sarah Jane paused before turning towards the voice. She settled a polite but disinterested expression on her features and looked up in to the man's smiling face. He seemed harmless and he sounded out of place; too well-spoken for this East-End-boy-made-good crowd. He was the one who had tried to catch her eye before. Maybe he was worth a few minutes, if only to make it look like she was taking part in proceedings.

'Sarah Jane Smith,' she held out her hand, 'How lovely to meet you.'

'Timothy Egers and the pleasure's all mine, my dear. All mine. So,' he looked around them before giving her a conspiratorial wink, 'what do you think of all this then? Old Briers, eh? Bit of a thug by all accounts but he's always been all right with me.'

'You work with him?'

'With? Heavens no! For. One of his accountants. Bit particular about accounts our Mr Briers.'

But not too particular about hiring talkative accountants, Sarah Jane thought. She said, 'That must be interesting. Especially when he's buying all these lovely -'

Someone caught her eye, off on the other side of the room. The briefest glance of a woman. A tall woman, younger than Sarah Jane. She saw her for a moment and Sarah Jane felt her pulse jump. River? Here? The woman ducked her head, turning to speak with someone nearby and her mop of curly hair covered her face. Sarah Jane stared at her back until the crowd shifted and blocked her view.

'Lovely?' Egers prompted.

Sarah Jane blinked up at him for a moment before finishing her sentence, '- art. Lovely art,' she repeated, coming back to herself, 'Yes, yes: he collects such fine pieces. Have you seen this new piece, I'm told it's quite remarkable.'

'Ah, this new thing. Not much for art myself. Bit of a dope with that sort of thing. Still, always fun to come along and down some free champers. Would you like a glass, my dear? Miss Smith? Champers?'

Sarah Jane's focus was across the room again. She vaguely heard his offer and nodded without looking back, 'Champers, lovely,' she muttered and kept her eyes on the gorgeous black gown that had come back in to sight. She was doing a circuit of the room. Exactly the same circuit that Sarah Jane had done when she'd first arrived. But not for the same reason. Sarah Jane didn't know how but she was certain of that. This wasn't another journalist, sneaking in to hunt out a story. No, this woman was something else entirely.

And, yes, it was River. She was certain of that now too. River - River what? She didn't even know the woman's surname yet her heart was threatening to break out of her chest. She'd been obsessing over River for the past two years. Two long years of hoping that it wasn't all a dream; hoping that River's promise that they would meet again would come true. And here she was. At the swish party of an East End rogue who just happened to have an alien something-or-other in his collection. How very convenient.

Sarah Jane wondered off, hoping to loose Egers as she continued to mingle. She took a glass of champaign from an offered tray...said a few polite words to a woman who thought they knew each other...stared unseeing but apparently appreciative at a sixteenth century sculpture. All the time, her eyes darted around the room. The artefact was unimportant: where was that woman?

'Hello Sarah Jane Smith.'

No "Sweetie" was Sarah Jane's first thought and she mourned the lack of it. Her expression faltered as she turned and River's smile faltered too. "I meet you twice before." But this River knew her so it wasn't the first time. They'd met once before. Once each.

'Hello River. I'm sorry,' Sarah Jane said, taking River's hand in both of hers, 'I know that you have your father's eyes and that your watch isn't what it seems but I don't know your surname.'

River smiled, 'Song. River Song. Doctor River Song, actually.'

'You're a physician?'

'Oh god no, I'm an archaeologist.'

'Oh,' Sarah Jane said. There was a long pause, 'What sort of archaeology?'

'Right now? The sort that waits until someone else has dug the thing up.'

'I think that would make you an antiquarian,' Sarah Jane pointed out with a smile.

'You're being kind to me,' River grinned back. She took Sarah Jane's arm and guided her around the edge of the room until they were tucked in to an alcove. She glanced around before continuing, 'Why are you here?'

'I could ask you the same thing,' Sarah Jane said.

It came out more sharply than she meant it to, There was something disconcerting about knowing what this woman's lips tasted like when River hadn't even kissed her yet. Particularly when you were crammed in to an alcove and pressed close together. God, Sarah Jane wished she hadn't had that thought. She really wasn't making this easy on herself.

'I'm sorry,' River said.

Sarah Jane winced at the hurt in the hazel eyes. She had hoped their next meeting would be much like the last. Perhaps without the heavily armed guards and the beaming up to an alien spacecraft part. But definitely with the Sweetie and the kissing.

'No, I'm sorry. I've been a fool. I should have thought about what you said.'

'What I said?'

'The last time we meet. Which will be the next time we met. So to speak.'

River's head tilted as she considered Sarah Jane's mixed tenses. 'Let's get back to the business at hand, shall we?' she said eventually, 'You're here because...?'

'The artefact. The new one. It's not of human origin. But you already know that, don't you?'

'You want it?'

There was a hard edge to River's tone. It was so unlike the voice River had used the last time they spoke. And so galling. Sarah Jane straightened up, her gaze hardening as much as River's tone.

'I want it out of the hands of a thug and his ilk. I want it off this planet. I want it back where it belongs,' she leaned on the last part.

'Define belongs,' River said, her grin back in place.

Sarah Jane was already taking a breath to prepare for Round Two but it escaped her on a bark of laughter. 'Will your buyer be any better than this one?' she said, indicated the room with a nod.

River hesitated, 'She will at least know what it is and what it is capable of.'

'That doesn't exactly set my mind at rest, River.'

River shrugged. She turned to look back at the room, her eyes gliding over the sparse security, cataloguing all the weaknesses. She could take this thing and be gone in a moment. Job done, nice fat payment in the bank. It would be easy. It would be so easy. If Sarah Jane wasn't there. She'd been obsessing over the woman for years. Praying to every new deity she discovered that they really would meet again. Sarah Jane Smith. "We knew each other well?", "Very." Would this be it? If she just lifted the artefact and ran, would their chance be gone with it?

River felt Sarah Jane's hand on her arm. She turned, ready to fight her corner, but there was an expression of understanding on Sarah Jane's face that made her hesitate.

'It's not easy, this whole not-in-chronological-order thing. Is it?'

River shook her head sadly and sighed, 'I've been thinking about you for years.'

'Me too,' Sarah Jane said. She reached up and stroked River's cheek, her fingers pushing back unruly hair and playing over soft skin. 'Oh, River,' Sarah Jane whispered as she leaned forward and replaced fingers with lips. She realised that, for River, this was their first kiss and she deepened the contact. She felt River respond and sank in to her, feeling River's body press tight against her own.

'Miss Smith? Miss-' Egers' voice came from outside the alcove, 'Oh, I say, Miss Smith, I had no idea,' his voice trailed off. Sarah Jane blinked, unseeing. He had two champaign flutes in his hands, now held loose in his fingers as he stared at them, blinking right back at her. 'Perhaps I should have picked up three glasses,' he said with a forced cheerfulness.

River turned to Egers and offered her hand. She flashed him a broad smile and said, 'Hello there.' Too polite to do anything else, Egers juggled the glasses to one hand and returned the handshake. 'Well,' River beamed, 'it's a wonderful party, isn't it? I'm so looking forward to seeing this new piece.'

She took Sarah Jane's arm and lead her out of the alcove, brushing past Egers, his eyes following them as they went.

'I'm afraid I've ruined your date.'

'This is not funny,' Sarah Jane muttered, 'And he's not my date. He's Brier's accountant.'

'That must be a fun job. Talking of which, I don't have much time.' River turned to her, taking Sarah Jane's hands in her own, 'I want to stay here, I want to be with you tonight. But,' she untangled one hand to press a finger to Sarah Jane's lips, 'I'm going to do the job I came here to do. Will you try to stop me?'

Weren't you supposed to have the fun stuff before the tough decisions? Damn this mixed up time business. Sarah Jane wanted the night together, she wanted River. And she wanted this artefact off Earth. So maybe it wasn't a tough decision at all.

'No,' she said watching River's expression shift from concern to relief and back to a familiar smile. The smile faded a little when Sarah Jane added, 'But. I don't want anyone hurt. And I don't want either of us exposed; I work hard to help the people of this planet but I don't want them knowing about it. I prefer my home to A Home.'

'Five minutes, Sweetie. Five minutes at the most.'

It was almost five hours before Sarah Jane really had a chance to say anything in response, by then she was collapsed on the sofa in her living room. She turned her head to study River, flopped down on the other end of the couch and staring at the artefact that sat on Sarah Jane's coffee table. The bottom ten inches of River's beautiful gown was gone, ripped off in a manner that Sarah Jane had found oddly erotic. Until River had yelled, 'Now would be a good time to run, Sweetie,' just as the guards had sprinted around the corner. At least they were human guards.

Sarah Jane glanced down at her own dress. It may not have been her favourite attire but she had spent a lot of money on it. It had been her only decent frock - it wasn't any more. Amazing how much dirtier back alleys seemed when you were running through them in an evening gown and heels. Next time she was wearing a trouser suit and propriety be damned. That was assuming she ever trusted anything River said to her again.

'Five minutes. Five minutes at the most, you said.'

River's lips quirked in to a broad grin, 'Ah, the best laid plans and all that.'

'I am neither mice nor man,' Sarah Jane laughed, 'and you need to improve your planning.' River grinned at her and Sarah Jane knew there was something she was missing. 'What?' she said, 'What is it?'

'Nothing, Sweetie,' River's grin hadn't faded, 'but you might not be the best person to lecture me on plans.'

'I have no idea what you're talking about,' Sarah Jane said and she thought she might actually be pouting. River was definitely laughing at her, though in such an adorable way that Sarah Jane couldn't maintain her ire. Instead, she pointed at River's arm and said, 'What exactly happened with that?'

River's finger jabbed at her watch accusingly, 'It took a hit,' she hesitated, 'a while ago and it's not been right since. I need to find a lab and sort it out. It's a good thing you had that sonic with you. Where did you get that from?' She watched Sarah Jane's face contort as she tried to think of a suitable response. River took pity on her and said, 'Spoilers, eh?'

'Spoilers?'

'Never mind.' River shifted on the sofa, moving closer to Sarah Jane. She tucked her body in to Sarah Jane's side, wrapping herself around the smaller form. With her head on Sarah Jane's shoulder she said, 'Thank you for helping me out.'

'My pleasure.'

'It will be.'

Now that was the River that Sarah Jane knew. And those were the lips she knew too. They kissed for a long moment, parting breathlessly and moving together again. Sarah Jane shifted her position to take River in to her arms, pulling her close as they lay down on the sofa. River's free hand played down Sarah Jane's side, the gentle contact tickling her skin through the rips in the material of her gown. Sarah Jane pressed her lips to River's throat, trailing caresses across the exposed skin.

'We have far too many clothes on,' River said.

Sarah Jane dropped a delicate kiss to River's lips before easing herself away and standing up. She stood beside the sofa, smiling down at River and offering her hand. River took it, getting to her feet in one fluid motion and drawing Sarah Jane in to another kiss. Hands still bound, River moved towards the door. They kissed again, their progress to the staircase slow. They made it half way up when River stopped suddenly. Sarah Jane lost her balance and River had to reach out and wrap her arms around Sarah Jane's wavering body before she tipped backwards. They clung to each other for a moment, Sarah Jane blinking in confusion.

'Have we done this before?' River asked, her eyes fluttering closed.

Sarah Jane's chest ached at the shy tone. 'I've kissed you before but, no, not this.' Sarah Jane felt River's sigh against her cheek and she pulled them together again, holding River to her. 'You'll definitely meet me once more,' Sarah Jane continued, 'but after that... I don't know. I hope. I think.' She couldn't finish, couldn't put all the emotion in to words. So she put it in to a kiss. River didn't seem to mind. They pulled back, sucking in air and grinning at each other like fools. River's eyes were sparkling again. Sarah Jane gave a nervous laugh, 'It's been so long; I hope I haven't forgotten what to do.'

'Oh, Sweetie,' River grabbed her hand and dragged them both up the stairs, 'let's find out, shall we?'


End file.
